What is the tooth surface of a gear?
The tooth surface is the surface on which the gear teeth mesh.
The tooth surface on the end of the tooth located above the pitch circle is called tooth face, and the tooth surface on the root of the tooth below the pitch circle is called tooth flank.
The tooth surface may be ground to improve gear precision or hardened to increase hardness.
The clearance required between tooth surface is called backlash.
The calculated strength of gear teeth not to wear out due to surface fatigue damage is called surface durability.
Tooth Surface